Breen back to work following Ruler on Ice’s Belmont score

Ruler on Ice could face a rematch with several of his Belmont rivals in the Travers (Jessie Holmes/EquiSport Photos)

It was back to business Sunday morning for New Jersey-based trainer
Kelly Breen, who shocked Saturday’s Belmont S. (G1) with 24-1 long shot
RULER ON ICE (Roman Ruler), his first career Grade 1 victory.

Breen, 42, had four horses entered on Sunday’s Monmouth Park card,
and was also dealing with an injury to one of his exercise riders during
training hours.

“So much of it is racing, and so much of it is back to reality,” said
Breen, who shipped into Belmont Park shortly before 9 a.m. (EDT)
Saturday morning and left around 8 p.m., less than 90 minutes after
Ruler on Ice sailed through the slop to win the 143rd Belmont S. by
three-quarters of a length for owners George and Lori Hall.

“I had a horse flip on one of our riders this morning, and she might
have broken her hip,” Breen said. “We’ve got four horses in today at
Monmouth. It’s back to reality. No time to waste; just jump right back
in.”

Wearing blinkers for the first time, Ruler on Ice stayed close to the
pace set by Preakness S. (G1) winner Shackleford (Forestry) in the
Belmont before jockey Jose Valdivia Jr. began to launch his bid entering
the stretch. They passed the eighth-pole in front and dug in
determinedly to hold off Stay Thirsty (Bernardini), running 1 1/2 miles
in 2:30 4/5 on a sloppy, sealed track.

Ruler on Ice and Jose Valdivia Jr. were a winning team on Saturday (Jessie Holmes/EquiSport Photos)

“I don’t think anybody could put into words or make any calculations
for what helped him or what hurt anybody else,” Breen said. “That’s
racing, and that’s why they run the races. I’ve been saying that since
I’ve been in the business. If it wasn’t, every 4-5 shot would just win.
You’ve got to be in it to win it, and I was more than happy to be in
it.”

Breen said the victory was made more satisfying because it came for
the Halls, who hired him as their private trainer in 2007, and that
Ruler on Ice had to overcome his own immaturity and a minor illness
after running second in the Federico Tesio S. at Pimlico on May 7.

“I was talking to Jose Valdivia’s agent, and I said to him, ‘What a
day for him to make a turnaround,'” Breen said. “It was perfect timing.”

Breen was uncertain where or when Ruler on Ice would run next. The
horse has competed over seven different tracks in as many starts, and
became only the second gelding to win the Belmont, the last and longest
leg of the Triple Crown, following Crème Fraiche in 1985.